The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-03
SOME NEW Books
0ut, Eieeterni System.

and colleges which encourage the study OF the
American system should have ut their disposal
% few text books Offering, instead Of discus
sion OF the theoretical meaning Of particular
provisions, q complete survey Of their histori-
cal operation and actual effect Certain It Is
that any student who has nothing before him
but the text Of our. Federal organic law
viii arrive at conjeotures touching Its practi-
cal results by no means identical with the
facts OF which we are eyewitnessos, and per
haps nearer to the intentions Of the trainers Of
the instrument. Neither our Executive, our
Senate. nor our House Of Representatives is
precisely what the suthors and sdapters OF the
Constitution expected. and We may add that
each Of those elements now differs materially
n some particulars from what 1t was during
The frst quarter OF q century after the system
was subjected to the test Of application. There
ought to be o separate treatise devoted to the
history Of each OF the main features OF our
boiity. defining tho changes which 1t hns un-
dergone, and tracing tho causes. direct or in
direct Of such notifications.
We are indebted TO Mr. CHARLES A. ONErL
for good beginning in this direction. In his
Amsgtcan Electoral System we have nearly
exhaustive account OF tho machinery mployed
Tor choosing President. and Of the altera-
lions made In It from tho first to tho last cleo
ton Of Chief Magistrate. A thorough knowl-
edge Of this subject ought to be generally dlf-
fused among bur citizens. and We pay only
tust tribute to the merit OF this book when We
my that II It had been eStant IN 1875 It would
kavs proved Of signal value to the community.
II Ii clear that the President is now elected In
away which differs widely from tho method
designed by the contrivers OF tho Electoral
College. and that this divergence. coupled with
the bearing Of coincident or subsequent events,
has given him an Independence OF the legisa-
tive department which was not looked for BY
the trainers or the approvors Of our organic law.
His designation Is no longer tho result Of de-
liberation and free choice on the part Of
the Electoral College; the House Of Repre-
sentatives has no longer right to apportion
the Offices OF President and Vice President be-
tween two candidates commanding an equal
number Of votes in the electoral body; Pres
ldefit Who wishes reelection is no lsnger Obliged
60 court with the utmost assiduity the good
will OF his party q representatives In the Lower
House. a. he was while they exercised through
4 Con Rressional caucus the function Of select
ing their party candidate for the Executive
chair. The result is that the peoples immedi-
6te Representatives, deputed every two years
TO the popular assembly. have come TO possess
much less power, and the Chief Magistrates
have acquired much moro power than they re-
How these changes, which In their turn may
Involve othors, have been brought about!it is
the business Of tho book before US to expound.
1t IL an interesting statement which Mr..
O'Nefl has quoted from the Fedmalist, that
the delegation Of tho choice OF President to an
intermediate body. the Electoral College, was
1.-THE only part d the system Of any conse-
quenoe" which. during the heated discussions
which preceded the adoption Of the Constitu-
don by the several States, escaped without
severe censure, or which received tho slightest
mark Of APPRECIATION from it's opponents"
This general acquiescence was the more re-
narkable, because tho Federal Convention
had repeatedly voted by considerable lmajori-
ties to assign the choice Of President to tho
House Of Representatives. We can perhaps
trace in the Congressional caucus, which for
more than quarter Of q century nominated
its party candidate. a survival Of the original
conviction that our popular assembly. like the
House Of Commons, ought to influence the
selection Of the administrative head. Had
the House of Representative been SUBJ
stituted for an Electoral College. It
would undoubtedly have exercised o
power Of elaboration and free choice,
and would not have confined itself to the nero
function Of registering tho will Of tho people
who In practice only have tho option Of choos-
ing between two candidates nominated by poll
ticians. That neither were the members Of the
Electoral College expected to restrict them
selves to registration ID incontrovertibls. But
How long was this Expectation entertained In
the community at large, and how long did the
electors venture to exercise the powers with
which they wore legally intrusted2 That Is ono
Of the first questions to which an answer is set
firth In the authors review Of the earlier Pres
Az Thr,o az IA AAkt ~ Ia
first Electoral College in February 1889, the
Federaifst elsctors, from fear of Adams equal
ing Washington. scattered their votes. Massa-
chusetts and New Hampshire alone gave
Adams united and hearty support. The &C.
ton Of the other electors was denounced by
Adams as ominous of imperfect faith.'" What
Adams feared was that Governor Clinton OF
Now York might be made Vice President by
the electors unfavorable to his own pretsn.
Bions: as 1t was. he only got thirty-four votes
out OF sixty-nlGe.
At the second Presidential election In 1792
there was no doubt about the choice Of WASH
irtSton. and the only question was who would
receive the next highest number Of votes in
the Electoral College. and thus. as the Cohstitu-
ton then stood. would become Vice President.
Very few votes were poled at this election. the
reason assigned at the time being that the
remove from the attention OF the people the
ultimate and Important result Of the election"
II IS also pointed out by Mr. O'Neil that even
sitter the appointments OF Presidential electors
n 1893, many appeals were made In the press
III favor OF Clinton and Adams, thus showing
that the idea of pledged automatic eleetor
had not been fully developed" AS mat
ter OF fact. twenty- three electors from South
Carolfns and Pennsylvania exercised their
loyal right OF option by preferring Clinton
10 Adams, and n like feeling OF indepen-
dence was for time manifested In the North
Carolina College," which tho voters had sup
posed would support Clinton, and which finally
did so. Tho Anal result was that Adams got
seventy-seyeH votes ind Clinton fifty.
In the Presidential election of 1905 tho issue
Of the contest between the Fedsrallsts. chiefly
controlled by Hamilton. and the anti Federal
kts .oteanized BY Jefferson, was 80 close that
neither side could afford to allow any eleotor to
be chosen without pledge. But, as rule, the
slector was only pledged to one candidate, and
was left at liberty to accept or reject the second